Legal
Fares, Cancellation and Refund Policy
Draft for review
This document is supplied for completion and adoption. Highlighted fields are still to be completed, and it has not yet been reviewed by a solicitor for publication.
Golden Transfers is a trading name of Golden Transfers Ltd. This policy explains how we quote fares and assess waiting, changes, cancellations and refunds. It forms part of the booking information provided with GT01 Customer Terms and Conditions. The Transport Provider is identified for the booking; collecting payment through Golden does not by itself change that provider.
Questions or cancellations: [COMPLETE: Golden booking email] or [COMPLETE: Golden telephone]. Tell us the booking reference, journey date and name. Use any reasonable advertised contact route; an urgent change should also use the live booking contact provided for the journey.
1 Clear prices before acceptance
We will identify whether the fare is fixed, estimated or calculated by a lawful meter or tariff. The quote will state included passenger and luggage capacity, any waiting allowance and known mandatory charges. It will explain how parking, tolls, airport fees, extra stops or other variable charges are calculated where the amount is not yet known. Any separate Golden booking fee will be shown clearly.
A fare estimate is not a blank authority to charge any amount. We will explain a material change before it is incurred where reasonably possible. Taxi fare restrictions continue to apply where relevant. No unlawful card or other payment surcharge will be added.
2 Changes requested by the customer
Extra stops, a changed destination, a different collection time, larger luggage or an additional vehicle may change availability or price. We will explain the new basis and obtain agreement. If a change cannot be accommodated, the original booking remains subject to its agreed terms unless it is cancelled or another arrangement is agreed.
3 Waiting and airport collections
The booking must state the waiting trigger, any free allowance, the charging increment and the rate. For airports, it must explain whether the trigger is the scheduled collection, actual flight arrival plus an allowance, or another agreed event. Flight monitoring and meet and greet apply only where expressly confirmed.
Waiting is assessed using actual arrival and contact records. Charges will not include time caused by a provider’s late arrival, wrong collection point or failure to provide agreed assistance. Time spent providing assistance that must be given without extra charge under disability law cannot be converted into a prohibited waiting surcharge.
4 Cancellation charges
The particular cancellation window and any fixed amount must be disclosed before you accept. The table explains the general approach; it is not a new undisclosed tariff.
| Booking stage or event | Charge or refund approach |
|---|---|
| Request not accepted by a Transport Provider | No transport cancellation fee. Release a card hold or return the journey fare. A separate Booking Service is chargeable only if expressly agreed and lawfully payable. |
| Accepted booking cancelled within a disclosed free cancellation period | No cancellation charge for the journey. |
| Cancellation after the disclosed free period | A fair charge may apply under the terms agreed for the booking. We will explain its calculation. |
| Driver accepted or dispatched | This fact alone does not automatically make the full fare payable. Apply the disclosed terms and consider actual avoidable costs and mitigation. |
| Passenger apparently absent | Check the correct location, arrival time, contact attempts and assistance plan before assessing a fair no show charge. |
| Golden or the provider cannot supply the agreed journey | Refund payment for unprovided transport. Other remedies available by law are preserved. |
| Customer rejects a materially different replacement | No customer cancellation penalty where the agreed journey cannot be provided and the customer is entitled to reject the change. |
If no fixed cancellation amount was agreed, any claim must be limited to a reasonable, evidenced and legally recoverable loss caused by the cancellation, allowing for saved costs and reasonable mitigation. Under this policy it will not exceed the agreed journey fare. We will not recover the same loss twice, including through another booking filling the released capacity.
Any separate booking fee must be assessed independently. Describing a sum as non-refundable does not make it fair or legally retainable. Passenger transport and a separately supplied booking service may have different statutory cancellation rules; any applicable rights are preserved.
5 No show assessment
Before a no show is recorded, we will check that the vehicle reached the agreed collection point at the correct time, the agreed allowance expired, reasonable contact was attempted and relevant access or assistance instructions were followed. We will take account of inaccurate instructions given by Golden or the provider, service disruption and the passenger’s circumstances.
We do not treat an unaccepted enquiry as a no show. A child or vulnerable passenger must be dealt with under the safeguarding plan; a fee decision must never substitute for a safe response.
6 Card holds and advance payments
A temporary authorisation reserves money but does not transfer it to us. We will initiate its release when no longer required; the card issuer controls when the pending amount disappears. A captured payment is treated separately and refunded where due.
Where a payment is collected before provider acceptance, the booking information must make its conditional status clear. If the requested journey is not accepted, the fare will be returned. Any additional capture needs a valid authority and an amount properly due. A customer can dispute a charge and ask for a breakdown.
7 Refund process
We will confirm whether a refund is due, the amount and the reason. We aim to initiate an agreed refund within 14 calendar days of agreeing it is payable, and sooner where the law requires. The payment provider or bank may take additional processing time; we can supply a refund reference where available.
Refunds normally use the original payment method. If that is impossible, we will verify an appropriate alternative. A customer is not required to accept a voucher instead of a cash refund that is legally due. Provider settlement or an internal disagreement must not delay a customer remedy Golden is required to provide.
8 Disputes damage and cleaning
For damage, excessive soiling or another disputed extra, we will provide reasonable evidence and the calculation. Normal wear and unexplained flat penalties are not chargeable under this policy. Responsibility is assessed under GT01 and law; a booker is not automatically responsible for every passenger’s conduct.
Please contact us about an error so we can investigate promptly. This does not restrict chargeback, card scheme, consumer or court rights. A refund does not automatically settle another claim.
9 Management tariff schedule for completion
Remove this completion section from a public copy after the approved figures and rules are incorporated into the quote system and customer information. No suggested commercial figure is imposed by this document.
| Item | Decision to record |
|---|---|
| Free cancellation period by service | [COMPLETE: period, trigger and permitted exceptions]. |
| Charges after the free period | [COMPLETE: fair amount or formula and evidence supporting it]. |
| Waiting allowance and rate | [COMPLETE: ordinary pickup allowance, increment and rate]. |
| Airport waiting | [COMPLETE: trigger, allowance, rate, flight delay treatment and parking basis]. |
| Separate Golden booking fee | [COMPLETE: none, or amount and service supplied]. |
| Accepted methods and collection time | [COMPLETE: actual methods, authorisation and capture trigger]. |
| Refund owner and effective date | [COMPLETE: responsible person, approval and policy date]. |
10 Corporate tours and series bookings
Use the accepted GT04 schedule for negotiated business rates, cancellation bands, vehicle release dates and non-recoverable commitments. A series forecast is not a capacity reservation. Allocate a deposit to identified bookings and distinguish a reduction in numbers from cancellation of a whole vehicle or series. An unagreed commercial cancellation scale does not apply retrospectively. A tour operator must meet its own downstream traveller obligations even if an upstream charge differs; no double recovery is permitted.